Bottle stopper



.A. Y. S. ALBUM.

BOTTLE STOPPER.

APPLlCATlON men MAY 25. 1922.

Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH Y. S. ALBUM, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS.

BOTTLE S'IOPPER.

Application fi1ed May 25,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ADoLrH Y. S. AL- BUM, acitizen of the United States, residing at Maywood, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Bottle Stopper, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The invention resides'in the above stated objects and features and insundry other detail features of construction which will later appear inthe detail description of the invention.

In this specification and the annexed drawings, the invention isdisclosed in the form in which it is considered to be the best, but theinvention is not limited to such form because it is capable of beingembodied in other forms; and it is to be understood that in and by theclaims following the description herein it is intended to cover theinvention in Whatever form it may embody within the scope thereof.

In the drawings which disclose the preferred embodiments of theinvention as at present devised:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the cap or stopper constructed in accordancewith the invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the cap.

Figure 3 is an edge view of the cap.

Figure t is a plan view of the cap with a portion broken away toillustrate the tab reinforcing member.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing a modified form ofreinforcement.

Figure 6 is a plan view of another modi tied form of the cap.

Figure 7 is a view showing a further modification of a cap equipped witha tab reinforcing means.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view of a cap, shown in Figure 1, inposition in a bottle, the bottle also being shown in section, and

Figure 9 is a plan viewof a further modi fied form of cap.

The present invention is an improvement in bottle stoppers and isparticularly useful in connection with milk bottle caps of the disktype, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited tomilk bottle caps as it is capable'of use in connection with other bottlestoppers of more or less general use.

Heretofore, so far as applicant is aware, bottle caps or stoppers, whichhave been 1922. Serial No. 563,473.

provided with integral peripheral pulltabs, have these tabs folded orcreased on a line forming a substantial continuation of the peripheraledge of the caps. As it is impossible to bend or fold the tab on acurved line, the result is that the tabs fielded. at the periphery ofthe cap bend on a straight line producing a flat surface on theperipheral edge at this point, which does not properly fit or fill theusual internal groove or rabbet at the mouth or discharge opening of thebottle. Thus, the contents of the bottle are not tightly sealed, butwill leak out at this point, if the bottle is tilted or up-set, and willpermit the ingress of water, dust, insects or other foreign matter intothe bottle which contaminates its contents.

The present invention aims to overcome all of these drawbacks bynotching, grooving, scoring or creasing the tab not at the peripheraledge of the cap, but transversely at a point between the peripheral edgeand the outer end of the tab, thus providing an unweakened outwardlyextending portion contiguous to the peripheral edge of the cap, whichwill permit a tight joint to be obtained at this point with the bottle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bottle stopper,preferably of the ordinary disk type, with an integral pull-tabextending outwardly from its peripheral edge and to reinforce the tab insuch a manner that it will not break or tear off from the body of thecap when pulling upon the tab to remove the stopper or cap from thebottle.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings wherein like charactersdenote similar and like parts throughout the several views, ll denotes acircular disk, of usual pasteboard or other suitable material, ofdimensions to tightly fit in the mouth of a bottle which is to be used.The disk is formed with an integral tab extending outwardly from theperipheral edge of the cap, the tab being of any suitable shape orformation. The tab is scored, indented, notched, or depressed to form adefinite groove or incision 3 extending transversely of the tab at apoint spaced from a line a, forming a continuation of the peripheraledge of the cap, and between this edge and the outer end of the tab. Theother face of the cap, as shown in Figure 2, is formed to provide for ade pression in its outer end portion which provides a thumb or lingergrip insuring a better hold to the tab when removing the cap from abottle. The major central area of the face of the cap shown in Figure 2is also depressed slightly to provide the annular marginal raisedportion 5 extending around the peripheral edge of the cap.

The advantage of scoring, notching or grooving the cap, a distance fromthe peripheral edge a of the cap is to provide a portion 00 which willnot bend or crease on a definite line coinciding with a peripheral edgeof the cap, and which portion :r will be of sufficient area to tightlyit against the vertical wall 0) of the usual interim]. groove or rabbet6' of a bottle 7. This function of the portion of the tab is facilitatedby the definite and pronounced groove 3 which permits the tab to bend inthe peculiar manner shown in Figure 8 and the portion a; to tightly fitand fill the rabbet 6. It will thus be observed that a water tight fitis made at this point by the construction above recited, thus, tightlysealing the bottle 7 at this point to exclude air and foreign matterfrom the bottle when the cap is pressed downwardly into the bottleopening by the usual capping machine. This tight joint cannot beobtained by weakening the tab at a point coincident with the peripheraledge of the cap.

The groove 8 may be on either the top or under face of the tab, but itis shown in the presentvinstance, as on the top face, because in thisform the best results are obtained.

It will also be observed in Figure 8 that the raised marginal portion 5will tightly and frictionally engage the vertical wall of the rabbet 6of the bottle, the diameter of the cap being slightly in excess to thediameter of the rabbet. t

In order to reduce the liability of the tab breaking or tearing from thebody of the cap, during the capping operation or while the cap is beingremoved from the bottle, the

tab may be reinforced or anchored to the body of the cap by means of athin flexible wire, thread or cord, or strip or layer of relativelytough material such as paper, wood shaving fabric, metal or the like.This wire, thread or strip of material is embedded between the plies ofpaper or material forming the structure of the cap and extendslongitudinally of the tab as clearly shown in Figures l, 5 and 7,respectively. In Figure 4 the reinforcing member 8 therein shown maytake the form of a fine thin wire or a cord or thread as may be preferred and advantageous in each particular case. The reinforcing member9 is shown as being a strip of material which may consist of a strip ofrelatively tough paper, fabric, metal or the like. The reil'. orcingmembers 8 and 9 may extend diametrically across the entire area of thecap and. tab, or

may be shortened to extend only for a distance into the cap as indicatedby the dotted lines in Figure 9.

In Figure 7 the reinforcing member 10 consists of a relatively widelayer of material having a projection extending into the tab. It is tobe understood that the reinforcing member number 10 may assume any formor shape which is desired and advantageous.

In Figure 6 a modified form of cap is shown wherein no integral pull-tabis provided but where the reinforcing member 11, similar to thereinforcing members 8,9 or 9 extends outwardly beyond the peripheraledge of the cap and forms a pull-tab.

In Figure 9 the tab shown provided with a groove or incision 3 made bynotching or cutting out a portion. of the stock at a point adjacent theperipheral edge of the cap.

In this view of the drawing, the reinforcing member 9, which may be ofany of the materials above mentioned, is applied to one face of the capand the tab. 'As shown, it is applied to the surface of the cap oppositethe incision or indentation 3 as'clearly shown in dotted lines. However,the reinforcing member 9 may be applied to either face of the cap andsuitably attached thereto by ad hesive, staples, or any other desiredfasten- 111 means.

l rom the foregoing, it will be observed that applicant has providedimprovements inmilk caps which, aside from reducing the cost of theusual tab-cap now in use, permits caps having integral and outwardlyextend ing pull-tabs to be used and which overcome all previousdrawbacks and disadvantages of such caps that have rendered themimpracticable in commercial use.

Having thus described the invention, what ll claim isi p 1. A bottle caphaving a pull-tab extending from "the periphery thereof, said tab belngweakened transversely at a point be tween the peripheral edge of the capand the outer end of the tab for the purposes set forth.

2. A bottle cap having an integral pulltab extending from the peripheryof the cap and scored transversely at a point between the peripheraledge of the cap and the outer end of the tab to provide an unweakenedportion connected with the cap between the peripheral edge of the latterand said scoring, for the purposes set forth. 7

3. A bottle cap comprising a flat disk body having an integral pull-tabextending from its periphery in the same plane thereof and ofsubstantially equal thickness thereto, said tab being scoredtransversely at a point is mote from the peripheral edge of the capwhereby an unweakened area of tab is provided between said scoring andthe peripheral edge of the cap for the purposes set forth.

i. A bottle cap comprising a disk like body having an outwardlyextending pulltab at its periphery, one surface of said pulltab beingdepressed at a central portion thereof to provide a finger grip.

5. A bottle cap having a pull-tab extending from the periphery thereof,said tab being weakened by notching or indenting one surface of the tabtransversely adjacent the peripheral edge of the cap.

6. A bottle cap comprising a disk-like body having an outwardlyextending pe ripheral pull-tab, a reinforcing member secured on said.body, said member projecting beyond the periphery of said body andsecured to said tab.

7. A bottle cap comprising a disk-like body having an outwardlyextending peripheral pu1l-tab, a reinforcing member embedded in saidbody and tab and connecting the same.

8. A bottle cap comprising a disk-like body having an outwardlyextending integral tab on its peripheral edge, a reinforcing memberextending diametrically of the body and embedded in the body and saidpull-tab, for the purposes set forth.

9. A bottle cap comprising a disk-like body having an outwardlyextending integral pull-tab on its peripheral edge a flexiblereinforcing member consisting of a layer of relatively tougher materialincorporated in the disk body and having a projection extending intosaid pull-tab for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set In hand.

y ADOLPH Y. S. ALBUM.

